Easy Homemade Hummus

One of the best reasons to keep a few canned chickpeas in the pantry? make hummus! It’s so easy to make in a food processor and takes a whopping 5 minutes.

What is hummus made of? Cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans), tahini, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Puree everything, top with some paprika and a dash of olive oil and voilà, done.

Use quality ingredients for hummus

With these few ingredients, their quality is important.

You can cook your chickpeas from scratch or use canned ones, which is what we’re doing here for our quick and easy version. Note that not all canned chickpeas are created equal. The brands I like best are Bush’s and S&W Premium.

Tahini is a paste made from toasted sesame seeds. You can usually find it at the grocery store along with the peanut butter or other Middle Eastern ingredients.

Sesame is high in oil and, like any oil, will go rancid over time. So, that half-empty can of tahini that’s been sitting in your fridge for a year? Probably not the best flavor anymore and probably rancid. Taste it before using it in this hummus and if it doesn’t taste good, don’t use it. (Throw out rancid oils, they taste awful and are bad for you.)

More tips for preparing the best hummus

• Process the tahini and olive oil first: When you buy tahini, the solid part of it is often compacted and separated from the oil. If you process it in the food processor first, you can start with a creamier base.
• Bowl membranes for extra creamy hummus: If you have extra time and want to make extra creamy hummus, peel the membranes from the cooked chickpeas before pureeing. This works best if you work with about 1/2 can of chickpeas at a time, drain and rub vigorously between two large paper towels. This makes it much easier for the membranes to slip off.

What do you serve with hummus?

Hummus goes great with toasted flatbread. Simply take some flatbread, cut into wedges, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast in a 375°F oven for 10 minutes, whereby Turning halfway through until crispy.

Hummus also makes a great dip for crackers or raw crunchy vegetables like celery, red peppers, carrots, and cucumber rounds.

How to cook chickpeas from scratch

Prefer to cook your chickpeas over using them from the can? Simply soak a cup of dry chickpeas in at least a quart of water overnight. Then drain and cook with another liter of water and 2 teaspoons salt until tender, about an hour or two, or longer depending on how fresh the chickpeas are.

If you don’t want to soak overnight, you can quickly soak it by pouring boiling water over the dry chickpeas, letting them soak for an hour, then draining and boiling.

Or you can cook them in a pressure cooker by following this guide: How to cook beans in a pressure cooker.

Hummus Variations

You don’t have to limit yourself to plain hummus! You can swap out the chickpeas with cooked beets for a lively beet hummus, or omit the tahini and add basil for a pesto-inspired basil hummus.

For a bright green springtime hummus, swap out the beans for shelled peas and add some mint for a fresh pea hummus.

Also, check out these easy add-ins for a bunch of hummus.

Make-ahead and freezing hummus

Once prepared, store hummus in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to a month.

More easy food processor dips

• pimento cheese
• Sweet potato dip with white beans
• shrimp sauce
• Artichoke Lemon Dip
• Edamame and avocado dip